Young Guns Forever
by paxtonholley
Summary: Taking place just after the events of Young Guns II, Billy is found near death in the New Mexico desert and given the choice of a lifetime. Several lifetimes.
1. Chapter 1

** The events of this story take place immediately after Billy and Pat's confrontation at the end of _Young Guns II_. For the purposes of this story, the "Old Billy" scenes in that movie are being ignored.

Fort Sumner, Summer 1881.

Chapter 1 - Endings

Billy quietly walks out of Pete Maxwell's bedroom after his confrontation with Pat. Pat's wayward shot at Billy created a panic. People were running everywhere, screaming, and amidst the chaos, Billy steals Pat's horse and makes a quiet exit out of town.

However, unseen by Billy, one of Garrett's posse, John Poe, spots Billy leaving and gets a a shot off as Billy is riding away. The Kid is hit but he still manages to get away. Billy rides late into the night until the horse collapses. After the horse is dead, Billy leaves behind the animal and crawls, half dead, through the New Mexico desert. He doesn't know where he's going, he just wants to get as far away from Fort Sumner as he can.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Beginnings

Dracula had come to America to see for himself the Wild West. He had been here for several years drinking his way through the denizens of the frontier saloons and bordellos. But he was quickly tiring of drinking the riff raff and looking to return soon to his homeland of Romania.

While riding in his stagecoach that night after a night of hunting, Dracula stumbled across the nearly dead Billy. Dracula recognized the boy from the near constant headlines written about him in New Mexico newspapers. Dracula was intrigued by the youth's deadly efficiency with the human firearm, but also with his nonchalant attitude toward killing.

Dracula decided it was time to take an apprentice.

Despite the myths and legends that are out there, it's not easy to "make" a vampire. The circumstances have to be just right and even then, the subject may die during the process. Dracula prepared the body best as he could, drank the youth's blood until there was almost nothing left then deposited the body back at the outskirts of Fort Sumner. This would allow the humans to find the body and allow Billy to be identified as dead. When the vampire transformation process was over in three or four days, Billy would be laying quietly six feet under the ground. If he survived the process and could dig himself out of the grave, Dracula would have a new protege.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Awakenings

When Billy awoke four days later, he sat up quickly and violently bumped his head on what seemed to be an abnormally low ceiling. When his wits had been gathered, he realized that he was laying in almost complete darkness. He felt around with this hands and all around him was wood. It was like he was in a box. A pine box.

"Holy shit! Am I dead?!" Billy shouted as he once again raised his head to sit up and again hit his head on the wood ceiling.

Billy started beating on the top and sides of what he assumed was his coffin. At first nothing seemed to be happening.

Billy wondered, "Is this what happens when you die? Do you spend the rest of eternity staring at the inside of your own coffin?"

Suddenly, Billy noticed pieces of wood and dust were falling on his face and chest. He heard wood splintering. Billy stopped punching and noticed that he wood he was punching was cracking and becoming pulverized. He heard more cracks and snaps.

"Shit….." mumbled Billy.

Suddenly, the top of the coffin collapsed and six feet of dirt avalanched on top of Billy.

While laying in the remains of the collapsed box, Billy realized he was holding his breath to keep from breathing in the dirt. He needed to get moving if he was going to get out of here alive. So, Billy started thrashing around trying to move the dirt piled on top of him before he suffocated. However, the longer he held his breath, the more he realized it wasn't bothering him. Like he didn't even need to breathe. Billy started moving his limbs and maneuvered his body around, shifting the massive pile of dirt on top of him and started digging and clawing his way out of the grave.

After what felt like hours, Billy's hand finally burst through the ceiling of dirt and grabbed air. Billy kept digging and digging until his head finally burst forth from the dirt and he could let out a giant breath and open his eyes. He looked around and then proceeded to free the rest of his trapped body.

Billy gazed around at the scene before him. It was dark and very quiet. He could vaguely see rows of pale stones surrounding him.

"Is this a...graveyard?" Billy asked no one in particular as he brushed the clumps of Earth off his suit which he realized he'd never worn nor seen before.

"You are as sharp as they say, young man" said a voice.

Billy whipped around with blinding speed and reached for his guns which, of course, weren't there.

"Yes, sorry about that. You were picked clean by your brethren the moment you showed up dead." the voice continued.

Billy kept looking around but still didn't see anyone. The fog surrounding the night seemed to get thicker. It started to gather right in front of him, beginning to form into the shape of a man. Slowly that shape coalesced and suddenly became solid. And standing right in front of Billy was a tall man in a fancy suit that looked European. The man's face was almost completely in shadow but Billy could easily see his eyes which seemed to burn with a luminosity that cut through the darkness like an oil lamp.

"Nice suit. Are you a banker?" Billy laughed.

"Not quite, my young friend." the dark man answered. "I've come to offer you an opportunity. The opportunity of a lifetime. Several lifetimes, in fact."

"An opportunity? Well, you seem like a nice fellow. But I don't need no fancy banker to give me hand outs. I make my own opportunities. So thanks for coming here and checking to see that I'm okay….I _am_, by the way….but I'll kindly decline your generous offer and be on my way." Billy genially tipped his hat to the stranger and turned to walk away.

The dark man was taken aback. "Decline…? Are you not even the least bit curious why you had to _dig yourself out of a grave_ this evening?"

"Mister. I've got myself into a few, let's say, interesting situations, in my life. Digging myself out of a grave would probably be seventh or eighth on that list. I seem to be without injury and I actually feel pretty good. Hell, I'm just happy I got my pants on this time." With that statement Billy turned on his heel and walked out of the cemetery.

Dracula watched after the young man with surprise and a newly burgeoning respect.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Alliances

Billy walked through the graveyard and back towards town. He felt pretty good. In fact, he felt great. He was also pretty thirsty. Scratch that, extremely thristy. He needed to find the nearest saloon so he could quench said thirst. Billy looked up from his reverie and noticed the fancy dressed gentleman again.

"Hello, Mr Banker. Didn't hear you breeze past me. Can I help you or are you just admiring my ability to look incredibly dashing in a dirty graveyard suit?"

"I'm here to tell you that you are no longer Billy the Kid."

Billy stopped for a second. "Now, why would you say that? While I don't currently recognize my shabby attire, I most certainly feel like me."

"You have moved past your former self. I have made you into something else. Something more beautiful. More _deadly_." Dracula explained.

"Some would say I was already both. Why, I had killed at least twenty-one people (not counting Mexicans and Indians, of course) by my last birthday." Billy bragged.

"You don't have to boast for me, young man. That number is clearly elevated to illicit the awe and fear you seem to crave. You'll get none of that from me. The truth of the matter is that about three days ago, I found you barely alive crawling through the desert. Of course, I had heard of you and even been somewhat an admirer of yours. Not many of the ruffians in this "wild west" are deserving of my attention, but you most certainly captured it. I took action and created what walks before me right now. What I hope will be my companion." Dracula further explained.

Billy answered, "While I'm appreciative of the attention of so finely dressed a citizen as yourself, I'm sorry but I don't typically 'companion' with men. Sorry to disappoint you."

"Companion apparently was the wrong word. How about apprentice?" Dracula corrected.

"Apprentice? For what? You don't look like a blacksmith."

Dracula sighed. "Clearly you have much to learn. Billy you died in the desert. I bit you and brought you back from death because I'm a vampire. The first vampire. Dracula. And I created you."

"Dracula? I've never heard of you. And what's a damn vampire?" Billy asked.

"Things you will learn when you join me. Suffice it to say, you are now stronger and more powerful. Your senses are keener. Your reflexes faster. You're probably feeling this already. But there's a price for these abilities...the thirst".

"Thirst?" Billy croaked as he was feeling particularly thirsty.

"You're existence now depends wholly on the consumption of blood. Any blood. Animals will do, but what you really crave is human blood. Directly from the source."

"Directly from the source? You mean live, human blood? From live, human bodies?" Billy asked.

"Generally, yes. But perhaps you need a demonstration. Come." Dracula began walking without urgency back towards town.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Rebirth

Dracula walked into the nearest saloon. Billy slowly followed him in. There were several people inside the saloon. A few at the bar with their heads down staring at their drinks. A few people were in the back playing Taro against the house dealer. There were even a few people sitting at the tables spread around the open area of the saloon.

All of a sudden, Dracula stepped away from Billy and yelled, "Hey, it's Billy the Kid! He didn't die like the papers said!"

Billy's jaw dropped as several of the saloon patrons looked up and immediately recognized Billy from his wanted posters. Two or three of them got up and started walking towards Billy.

"Holy shit, Kid. I knew they hadn't got you. What'chu doin' here?" Said one of the men.

"It don't matter, Ike. If he's still alive, that means the bounty is still good. And I intend to collect." Said another as he reached for his gun belt.

Billy knew where this was going and immediately took stock of his surroundings. He scanned all the saloon exits, where all the people were sitting and reached down to adjust his gun belt…..which wasn't there.

"Well, shit." mumbled Billy. He looked over at Dracula who only looked amused. Before Billy could do anything one of the men drew and fired hitting Billy directly in the chest with a bullet. There was lots of shouting then another gunshot hit him in the left shoulder and he was thrown outside into the dusty street.

While lying in the street, Billy felt a change come over him. The darkened street became a lot less dark. It practically looked like daylight to his eyes. He felt terrible pain in his chest and shoulder where he was hit with the bullets but when he strained to look at the wounds he saw the bullets fall out of the wound and the wound close up and heal right before his eyes. Then came the rage. It was white hot, but focused. Clear. Billy wanted to...no, NEEDED to kill these men and he needed to do it as soon as possible. He didn't have any guns, but that didn't matter at this point. He'd do it with his bare hands.

The men came running out of the saloon hoping to see what was the dead body of Billy the Kid. What they saw instead was Billy standing up in the street. Blood streaked his clothing but they couldn't see any of the gunshot wounds. Billy looked different, too. His face was dark but his eyes burned with a cold light that seemed to sear directly into the men's brains. And before they were able to register anything else, Billy made an amazingly quick leap from the street to land directly on the men standing in front of the saloon throwing them back through and destroying the swinging doors.

Seconds after the men disappeared into the saloon, the lamp lights blew out and the screaming started.


End file.
